Manning Becoming The Man

PRESS BOX - Other Voices

When we first saw Eli Manning step onto the field in a Giants uniform last May, we saw a kid whose head was spinning from all the confusion.

His passes were woefully inaccurate. His deer-in-the-headlights look was troubling.

When one of his passes hit a tackling dummy, you had to wonder: This is the guy in whom the Giants invested three high draft picks and a ton of money?

Well, not even four months later, the picture is entirely different: Manning has picked up the offense so quickly that he is neck and neck in a training-camp competition with two-time MVP Kurt Warner. That leaves Coach Tom Coughlin with the difficult task of deciding which quarterback goes into the season as his starter.

This one's a no-brainer. Eli's the guy.

Manning has looked better and better with each practice, and he did a capable job in his first preseason start against Carolina on Thursday. Meanwhile, Warner's interception that was returned for a touchdown by a third-string cornerback was yet another reminder of how far he has tumbled from his peak years.

Go with Eli. If the future is riding on Manning's ability, then so should the present. Even if it means biting the bullet on this year's record.

The Giants are so flawed at so many other positions that they'd be going nowhere this year even with Warner. The Giants are not a playoff team, and they shouldn't pretend they are. That might not sit well with veterans who prefer Warner over Manning, but that's the truth. The NFC East belongs to the Eagles, and it isn't close for second.

Forget about the wild card. There are way too many better teams than the Giants ready to make a run.

So why not bite the bullet, let Manning take his lumps and watch him gain valuable experience?

Let him do what his brother did -- start from Day One and endure the growing pains that every rookie quarterback goes through.

Peyton is only the reigning NFL co-MVP.

There's no reason Eli can't do the same. That's why this one's a layup for Coughlin: Go with the kid.